Plays out like a love child between The Magnetic Fields and Of Montreal, which would seem romantically (if not biologically) possible. Also, at least someone out there is recording good music that sounds like Of Montreal, because Of Montreal sure as hell isn't.
"Someone show him how we move"
Just another Swedish-produced band from Malawi featuring a Somali-Canadian guest rapper.
"If all the lights in Paris went out / you'd still manage to find me"
After releasing sprawling double albums in 2009 and 2010, Woodpigeon took it easy by releasing this gorgeous little EP in 2012. New full-length due in February.
"I can't recall this face / but I want to"
A nice song elevated by a wonderfully quiet closing minute.
"I know that you think you sound silly when you call my name"
A favorite of the critics, it ultimately took listening to the Memory Tapes remix for us to fully recognize the strengths of the original version.
<instrumental>
Plays a bit like an instrumental-only version of "Snookered" (our #15 song of 2009) on downers. Or, perhaps more accurately, "Snookered" plays like "Prettyboy" on hallucinogenics.
"I'm pale and coy / a mama's boy / I make believe"
As the advance single to their upcoming third album, "Inhaler" showcases a darker sound from Foals A major improvement on their prior efforts, as far as we are concerned.
<Fleetwood Mac covers>
A bit of a cheat, but including two songs offsets the fact that these are covers, and relatively straightforward ones at that. In this case, our appreciation of the new versions undoubtedly benefits from a relative lack of familiarity with the source material.
"Up / up we go now"
After making this list last year with his Boston Spaceships project and just missing with his solo work, Robert Pollard returns in 2012 with 3 (3!) Guided by Voices albums and another solo album for good measure. Quantity alone merits limited admiration, but quantity at this quality is insane.
"While I'm evolving from a child / to an aging child"
There was little doubt that Menomena would suffer from the departure of Brent Knopf, turning the songwriting/singing/producing trio into a duo for Moms. While the new album still has its moments, Knopf's own efforts this year landed materially higher on the list.
"I get feisty / whenever I'm with him"
Never really a fan, but this song works like its titular metaphor.
"When we're older / will you still come over"
In discussing track #98 on this year's list ("Analog or Digital"), we referenced that all of the other tracks save one could probably take its lunch money. This is the lone track that couldn't. Pretty milquetoast, but the sentiment works.
"When they love you / and they will / tell them all they'll love in my shadow"
Now this is the genuine article.
"Many times I've been told / all this talk will make you old"
The Bill Withers comparisons seem obvious listening to the not quite Soul, not quite not Soul debut from this Londoner.
"And Gabriel / in spite of it / went for wandering in the desert"
Current count: Christmas-themed albums 10, state project albums 2. Don't like the ratio, but happy for any new Sufjan.
"23 years of this / I just hope you miss me a little when I'm gone"
jj is on an odd path of late. After releasing a straightforward album of hushed Swedish pop in 2009 (which featured our #10 song that year), they followed with dour album in 2010 and a string of mixtapes with quasi-rap lyrics paired with lush production and female vocals. High Summer is a half return to form, switching to more of a quasi-rap beat but with softer lyrics dropping both some Tommy James & the Shondells and verses in Swedish.
"I plug money in Harrods / I'm bugs bunny with carats"
Exposure-wise, Smiler benefited from having asked a pre-Born to Die Lana del Rey to sing the hook here, even if the reasons to like the track is are due more to his driving verses than the by-the-numbers chorus.
"I'm old enough to know / I'm holding on for something"
It is pretty clear by now that the band that released Everything All The Time is not coming back. As a Carrissa's Wierd partisan, I'd blame the departure of Mat Brooke for his Grand Archives project. Still, each BoH album is good for a couple solid pop nuggets like this track.
"I grab a crocodile by the tail / handcuff the judge and put the cops in jail"
Black Keys plus Wu Tang is a can't miss combination, though Bobby Digital wouldn't have been my first choice as the Wu M.C. to best pull it off (better than The KRZA, though).
"I'm not trying / to make you cry"
